Pictures
by Astellya
Summary: A one-shot family fic. Nate/Parker father/daughter fluff.


**A/N: **jojo140 asked me to write a Parker/Nate Father/Daughter fic. So this is my attempt. I hope you enjoy!

Nate could recall a time when Sam was about three when Nate really wanted to dose Sam's baby food with tranquilizers. Sam had _so much energy _that it drove Nate and Maggie nuts. Sam was always causing mischief and was seemingly tireless. He would go to bed at 10 and wake up at 5 am sharp. And when Sam napped in the afternoon, Nate and Maggie did their best to sleep but, as soon as they were in a deep slumber, Sam would be awake and ready to play.

Needless to say, they were both relieved when Sam calmed down and finally began sleeping eight or nine hours a night.

Lately, Nate had been feeling that same sleepless insanity that had already plagued his life once. It wasn't any one child, though. It was a combination of his whole team. First, it was Sophie's parties. And shopping. And "Oooh, Nate, what do you think of this dress? To frilly?" If it had just been her, he would've been alright. But, there were three other people on his team.

Eliot was constantly pestering Hardison and Parker. Teasing them _mercilessly._ And Nate had to listen to it. He always had to shut Eliot up. And it didn't help that Eliot was a machine and only slept 90 minutes a day. That meant Eliot was always around.

Then there was Hardison. Hardison hogged his fridge. He filled it with so much orange soda that Nate barely had room for coffee creamer. And Hardison had a tendency to talk to himself whenever he was on the computer. And it drove him absolutely bonkers.

Finally there was Parker. He did his best to think of her as endearing but she reminded him so much of Sam at age three that it was difficult to be kind. First of all, she bothered him all the time. She yearned for his approval all the time and she would ask him a million questions. And he didn't have the heart to tell her to stop. Second, she reminded him of a child. _His _child. Sam. It was painful to see her as his child because it brought up memories of his son.

So it made sense that Parker was the one to finally push Nate over the edge.

Nate had been enjoying his coffee when she came inside his house. She offered him a chipper smile, wide awake at six thirty in the morning. She walked to the cabinet and took out the cereal. She acquired a bowl, spoon, and milk and sat next to him. "Good morning," she greeted cheerfully.

Nate simply gave Parker a look of disbelief. How could she be so _energetic? _It baffled him. He continued to drink his coffee as she crunched her cereal. The thought that someone should've taught her manners crossed his mind before it was replaced with guilt. No one had cared enough to tell the girl to chew with her mouth closed.

Sophie came in about seven as Parker migrated to the couch. She flicked through channels on the tv, making Nate twitch.

Sophie was almost as awake as Parker, leading to more annoyance. "We should go shopping, Nate," Sophie purred.

"Sophie. We went shopping three days ago. I don't think my closet can handle another shirt."

"Aww, Nate. You know I hate going by myself!"

"Then take Parker."

"Parker, do you want to go shopping?" Sophie asked.

Parker looked over her shoulder, a suspicious look on her face. "Why?"

"For fun!"

"No."

"Please, Parker?"

"You'll make me try on all sorts of stuff! And you won't even let me steal it!"

"Come on, the last time we went wasn't so bad."

"You bought me four dresses, six pairs of shoes, and a purse. I don't use purses. Ever. And, that was after I tried on the whole store."

"Not the _whole _store…"

"Pretty much."

Sophie sighed, giving up on her brilliant idea to go shopping with Parker. "Take Hardison, he's into clothes and…stuff," Nate suggested. Sophie grinned and left, giving Nate a quick peck on the cheek and placing a hand affectionately on Parker's head.

Nate turned to move his coffee cup to the sink and knocked into the cereal box Parker had left on the counter. The cereal crashed to the ground, sending colourful pieces of sweetened-corn all over his kitchen. "Parker!" Nate roared, furious. She looked at him, fear in her eyes from his tone. "If you take something out of the cabinet, _put it back!" _he instructed angrily. She cowered slightly as he stared angrily at the cereal. "You need to start taking more responsibility for stuff! You're lucky this didn't get on the carpet!"

He sent her one more angry look and he saw her face for a moment before she ran away. She had been so upset at his outburst… and he couldn't blame her. "Parker!" he called, felling gut-wrenching guilt build up inside of him. He ran out his front door just in time to see her vanish through the door that led to the stairs. He sprinted after her, climbing the stairs in record time. He opened the door to the roof and saw her sitting in the corner, legs drawn up to his chest.

"Parker…" he repeated, softer and gentler than before. She didn't look at him as he slowly approached. "Parker?" he asked, sitting next to her. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to yell." Her face remained hidden in her arms. He could see her shake gently with tears. "I know saying sorry won't make it better… but I am. I really, truly am." Still silence.

Nate ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't quite sure how to proceed. "Listen… I yelled because I was in 'Dad' mode," he struggled to explain. That got her to move her head just enough so she could peer at him with one eye. "You see… Dads sometimes have to be a little strict with their kids so they learn. If they don't, the kids will go around acting like animals for their whole lives. I admit that I overreacted with you and I'm sorry for that."

"You're not really mad at me?" she asked softly.

"Maybe a little. But I was angrier with me for being the one to spill the cereal. You were just an easy target for my anger. And I'll never do that again," he finished.

"Promise?" she asked in a small voice.

"I promise, Parker." He slung an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. She leaned in to him and rested her head on his shoulder for a moment. He moved to stand but she grabbed his hand. "Can we… just stay for a bit?" she asked shyly.

He grinned down at her. "Sure, honey." Before he knew it, Parker had drifted off and her peaceful breathing was lulling Nate into slumber as well. He took a well-deserved nap with his little girl.

An hour later, Sophie found them up there. She reached into her purse hastily and removed her camera, snapping a picture of the cutest sight she had seen in ages.

LEVERAGE

A week later and Nate noticed something new hanging on the wall. There were five picture frames on his wall. He moved closer and grinned. The first photo was one of Parker, Eliot, and Hardison bickering over lunch. The second had him and Sophie, all dressed up for something and holding each other close. There was a photo of Hardison and Parker from when she taught him to repel. The two of them were hanging off the side of a building, Hardison upside down and Parker giggling. The fourth photo was a picture of the team as a whole. Nate sat in the middle, Parker and Sophie on either side of them. Eliot was next to Sophie and Hardison was next to Parker. It was taken after one of their first jobs.

But it was the fifth and final picture that had captured Nate's attention. He and Parker were on the roof, his arm around her, her head lolled on his shoulder. He briefly wondered when someone had taken it and he touched the frame gently. He grinned as he turned and walked away. It was nice to have a reminder of how much he loved his family on his wall. And Nate realized something as he sat on the couch: Parker was his little girl.

**A/N: **Thanks for reading. Feel free to review.


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